Until this year, Northwest Academy has never had a designated outdoor space for students or even a discussion around having one. Now, Interim Head of School Brock Dunn wants to create a safe outdoor environment behind Tower and Plaza.
Seniors Will Barr and Sid Muralidaran were planning to make an indoor calisthenics gym in the P100 space in Plaza for their capstone project. When Dunn heard about their idea he started thinking about how to incorporate it into a space for everyone outside.
“We’re talking about a mesh fence and planting these really aggressive vines so it will look like a garden,” said Dunn.
The gym portion is not intended to be a playground but more of a fitness area where stationary equipment will be placed such as pullup bars, dip bars, monkey bars and gymnastics rings. Dunn’s addition to the area will be more of a play space with equipment like gaga ball, four square, an amphitheater and a pergola with tables underneath.
Dunn is still exploring a timeline for this project and the school is working with an architect to make sure the design of the space fits the school’s needs.
One problem the school has is that unlike public schools, NWA does not get money from the government for projects.
“All of our operations, everything is based on tuition and the generosity of our community, private grants and what not,” said Dunn.
Because of the campus’ location downtown, the school has not been able to accommodate the students’ need for an outside space to run around.
“It’s kind of weird during lunch not having time to go outside at all,” said seventh grader Keely Frieh.
Many middle school students feel that the school’s limited access to outside spaces causes their energy to spike throughout the day. Because most schools have sports and activity areas, the need for this is very prevalent.
“Research shows that access to open and natural spaces supports improved physical health, with time outside in nature also having beneficial effects on cognitive and mental health,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
Currently, the school’s way for middle school students to expend energy is dance and Tai chi classes, which they only have three times a week.
“I feel like dance is good but there should be more areas to run around [and] more exposure to courtyards,” said sixth grader Colin Webert.
The school acknowledges that it’s difficult for middle school students to sit in classrooms all day without a chance to go outside.
“There’s a necessity to run a little wild so that you can be more focused in class,” said Dunn.
Muralidaran and Barr’s exercise space was originally only going to be for high school students to use, but since the school has expanded off their idea this to be a space for the whole school.
In 2024, Barr and Muralidaran surveyed the entire student body to assess opinions on the fitness opportunities, or lack thereof, that the school offers.
Some of the questions that were in the survey included what kinds of physical classes students took and if they would be interested in taking a fitness focused class.
“Would you participate in a calisthenics or weight training class (or club) if offered?” asked Barr and Muralidaran in their survey.
Students responded to the survey positively and expressed their desire for more fitness options at school.
“We saw the need that a lot more people wanted more fitness options for strength and athleticism,” said Muralidaran.
Barr and Muralidaran hope to leave a memento of a self-taught curriculum that students can utilize.
“We won’t see it done as students, but as alumni we’ll have left a legacy,” said Barr.
Barr and Muralidaran put together a book of exercises from personal experience and fitness programs. They will also most likely film videos of themselves doing the exercises. These videos would be accessible through QR codes in the book.
“The curriculum stems from our desire to provide the school not just with equipment but likewise instruction regarding how to use it, and potentially a greater fitness culture here at NWA,” said Barr.
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